1. Field the Invention
This invention relates to a recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus in which many recording media such as tape cartridges are stored, these recording media are exchanged to each other to perform recording and reproducing operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus is composed of a cassette magazine for storing a plurality of tape cartridges, for example; a recording and reproducing mechanism for performing both recording and reproducing operations against the tape cartridges; and a transfer mechanism for taking out each of the tape cartridges stored in the cassette magazine, installing it in the recording and reproducing mechanism, taking out the tape cartridge installed in the recording and reproducing mechanism and storing it in the cassette magazine.
Then, the cassette magazine is constructed in a longitudinal direction such that the tape cartridges are arranged in one row in their thickness direction and stored therein, and a transfer space where the tape cartridges are transferred by the transfer mechanism is arranged in a longitudinal direction along the cassette magazine at an adjoining location of the cassette magazine.
However, in the case of the prior art recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus where the longitudinal cassette magazine and the longitudinal transferring space are merely arranged side by side, the transferring space requires approximately the same length as that of the cassette magazine, so that when the number of tape cartridges to be stored is tried to be increased, for example, this shows some disadvantages that the length of the cassette magazine is increased, correspondingly the length of the transferring space is also increased and the size of the apparatus is made large.
In addition, when the transferring space is elongated, the guide rods constituting the transferring mechanism, for example, are extended and in turn when the number of tape cartridges to be stored is tried to be increased, a transferring time of the tape cartridge is extended, either reproducing or recording cannot be carried out within a short period of time, and as its counter-measure, a capacity of a motor constituting the transferring mechanism is required to be increased, resulting in that this is disadvantageous in view of its light weight forming or its cost.
The present invention has been invented to solve the problems of the prior art described above and it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus in which a small-sized forming of the apparatus can be realized even if the number of recording media to be stored in the magazine is increased, and in addition, either the reproducing or recording can be performed and it is advantageous in view of its light weight forming or cost.
In order to accomplish the object, the recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention is composed of two longitudinal first and second magazines constituted while a plurality of storing members for storing a recording medium capable of recording and reproducing information and of being recognized in its attitude specified by orientations in two directions crossing at a right angle to each other in such a way that the recording medium can be inserted or taken out are arranged in a linear form; a recording and reproducing mechanism having an installing part where the recording medium is installed and for performing a recording and/or reproducing against the recording medium under a state in which the recording medium is being installed at the installing part; a moving mechanism having a holding part for holding the recording medium, and to move the recording medium between each of the storing members and the recording and reproducing mechanism by the holding part; and a delivering mechanism for delivering the recording medium between each of the storing members and the holding part. The first and second magazines are oppositely arranged in such a way that their longitudinal directions are in parallel to each other and a transferring space extending along the longitudinal directions of these first and second magazines is arranged between the first and second magazines. Then, the moving action of the recording medium with the holding part is carried out in the transferring space, an attitude of the recording media stored in the first and second magazines and an attitude of the recording medium held at the holding part are the same to each other, the recording medium is characterized in that the recording medium is installed at the installing part while an attitude where it is moved in the transferring space while being held at the holding part.
In accordance with the present invention, the transferring space is extended between the first and second magazines along these longitudinal directions, the recording medium is delivered by the delivering mechanism among the first and second magazines and the moving mechanism. The recording medium stored in the moving mechanism is moved in the transferring space by the moving mechanism and installed at the installing part of the recording and reproducing mechanism.
Accordingly, there is provided a magazine storing the recording media arranged in one row and then the transferring space can be set approximately to xc2xd as compared with the case in which the transferring space for the recording media is arranged along a longitudinal direction of the magazine.
In addition, since an attitude of the recording media stored in the first and second magazines, an attitude of the recording medium stored in the moving mechanism and an attitude of the recording medium installed at the installing part become all the same to each other, so that it does not become necessary to arrange a mechanism for reversing the attitude of the recording medium, its configuration can be simplified and an operating time required when the recording medium is attached to or removed from the installing part can be shortened.